First LNG carrier fitted with IMO type A containment nears delivery

Singapore-based Saga LNG Shipping held a naming ceremony on 13 March for its first vessel, Saga Dawn, the world’s first LNG carrier with an IMO type A LNG containment system at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s (CMHI) Jiangsu yard.

Set for delivery by CMHI in May, Saga Dawn is a midsize LNG carrier with Wärtsilä dual-fuel main and auxiliary engines, with a capacity of 45,000 m3 that uses cargo containment technology based on LNT Marine’s LNT A-Box design. The containment system uses an IMO independent type A tank as the primary barrier, and a conventional cargo tank support system and liquid-tight thermal insulation attached to the hull compartment which acts as a full secondary barrier. The self-supporting prismatic tanks allow for simple construction and flexible design while maximising utilisation of the hull space.

Saga LNG Shipping founder and chief executive David Wu called the naming ceremony “a monumental achievement” as it marked a number of firsts. Saga Dawn is “the first LNG carrier to be built at CMHI, the first ever LNG carrier to feature LNT Marine’s A-Box technology and the first vessel in Saga LNG Shipping’s fleet.” He said Saga LNG Shipping would order similar vessels in “the near future to meet evolving market demands”.

Saga LNG Shipping vice president of business development Jonathan Verswijver added “Saga Dawn brings new life to the dwindling midsized LNG fleet” and, with its relatively fully laden shallow draft of 9 m, “paves the way for new business models, innovative trades and opening up stranded demand centres, especially in Asia.”

Saga LNG Shipping reported it is in the final stages of developing an 80,000-m3 LNGC design with a 9-m fully laden draft, aimed at regional imports into Chinese terminals. It has also obtained approvals in principle for its shallow draft 28,500-m3 Wuhan Max and 12,000-m3 Yichang Max designs aimed at opening up trade along China’s Yangtze River.